New NASCAR Format Has Big Stars, Sport in Danger

When NASCAR announced its new format for the Chase for the Championship playoff system in the Sprint Cup Series before the season I instantly felt it turned arguably the biggest motorsports championship into a joke.

Almost halfway through the Chase that feeling actually continues to grow.

After a wild race at Kansas Speedway for the fourth race of the 2014 Chase the standings were shaken up quite a bit and find some of the biggest names in the sport in desperation with only two races remaining in this segment to get into the top eight spots needed to reach the Chase’s third segment. The final race of this second segment is Talladega Superspeedway, which every NASCAR fan knows is simply a crapshoot. This must have these big names, and the sport depending on them for its success, on pins and needles.

After the Kansas race six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, 2013 champion Brad Keselowski and the sport’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. find themselves on the outside looking in, all more than 20 points outside of the eighth place bubble with only Charlotte and Talladega remaining in the segment.

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon is safe for now, but sits only eight spots ahead of Kasey Kahne for that coveted eighth spot in the standings.

Theoretically Gordon, Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski, arguably the four biggest names in the Chase, could all end up missing the next segment of the Chase and be eliminated from title contention. Another scenario has the only four champions currently in the Chase (Johnson, Gordon, Keselowski, and Matt Kenseth, also only eight points ahead of the cutoff, missing the next segment). If this were to happen I’d halfway expect NASCAR to say “oopsy and never mind” and revert immediately back to their old system. While in jest, we have seen the sport do unheard of and stranger things before. I’d almost guarantee a lack of big name stars over the sport’s last four races would lead to more changes in the offseason.  

These four stars, or even two or three of them, being eliminated from championship contention with four races remaining would be horrible for NASCAR’s fans, and more importantly to the sport, its television ratings.

If these drivers’ racing ability led to such horrible finishes at Kansas none of this would be a big deal, but things out of their doing like blown tires or getting the bad end of other people’s wrecks have them in holes that might not be possible to dig out.

The new Chase format was instituted by NASCAR hoping to add some spice to the playoff system in order to help compete with dominant NFL coverage on Sundays, to show the networks (NBC and Fox) in the new television package starting next season what’s to come and add a do-or-die flare to the playoffs, which would still often come down to just two drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

After the first four races and knowing that Talladega is on the horizon that “do-or-die” flare has turned into the potential for a “crash-and-burn” scenario for NASCAR. Sure, it’s currently nothing more than a “what if,” but 20-plus points down for its superstars and the big one at ‘Dega looming kind of puts things in perspective.

A final foursome of Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin in a virtual winner take all championship bout might bring in the television viewers, but having a name like Johnson, Gordon, Keselowski or Earnhardt would bring in heckuva lot more.      

Mark Martin: More Than Just a Runner-Up in Everybody's Book

Mark Martin is going to go down in the history of NASCAR as the sport’s Ted Williams, Karl Malone and Dan Marino … the best of the sport to never experience the glory of a championship title. But, despite the fact that it’s this blog post’s lede and will undoubtedly and unfortunately be synonymous with him for the remainder of his life and long after it ultimately doesn’t matter, because he (and the others like him) will still remain legends and all-time greats despite never reaching their sport’s summit.

Martin always seemed to be the runner-up in NASCAR – finished second in the point standings a record (and whopping) five times. He also never seemed to be the best driver at any one point in his long and successful career – but, only because he was being bested by truly iconic names like Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. But, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t get the job done (NASCAR is a team sport, just like baseball, basketball and football) and sometimes your failed by other things like your pit crew or just dumb luck. Martin, in fact, had not one, but two championships essentially taken from him by rules infractions seemingly out of his reach.

Championships should never be a measure of a true sports legend, period. Mark Martin may not have a championship, but won 40 premier series Sprint Cup races in his career and almost 100 races when you add up his victories from the three NASCAR series (he’s second in all-time Nationwide Series wins and the only driver in the history of NASCAR with 40-plus wins in both series). Bill Rexford won a NASCAR premier series championship, in 1950, but only won one race in his career. No offense to the late Rexford, and granted he only ran 36 career NASCAR races, but you tell me which driver is the true legend of the sport. Hint: It’s not the one with the championship.

Mark Martin is not just a true NASCAR legend and an all-time great because of his skills on the racetrack. He’s also a legend, because of the man he is. I’ve been watching NASCAR for 12 years and in that time there has never been a more respected man within the NASCAR garage and among race fans than Mark Martin. Few, if any, drivers in NASCAR history have probably been as respected and liked as Martin. This is because Martin was the ultimate gentleman racer who didn’t ruffle feathers on the track by beating and banging or off the track by running his mouth about fellow drivers. Drivers knew that Martin was going to race them clean, so they had better return the favor … and they always seemed to do just that. I can’t remember a single time in my 12 years of watching this sport where I ever saw Martin and another driver have a spat either on or off the track. Everybody simply liked Mark Martin.

It’s this respect and attitude that Martin showed that stands out the most to me about his career, even more so than winning races, despite having seen almost a quarter of Martin’s career wins in the Cup Series, including one of his most successful seasons in 2009 when he won five races, including the last of his career at New Hampshire Speedway, and finished runner-up in the championship for the fifth time in his career. Mark Martin was 50 years old that season and was better than anybody on the track, including drivers half his age.

Mark Martin is going to be missed on the racetrack for many reasons, some of them including the fact that he won’t be there to show the younger drivers the right way to race and treat each other and that he’s maybe the last throwback to the good old days of racing when the sport featured workingman-like legends like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarbrough, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett and on and on.

Mark Martin is truly a beloved relic of the sport of NASCAR. His career spans more than 30 years and multiple eras of the sport. He’s a guy who entered his first race in an event won by the legendary Richard Petty and finished his career in a race culminating in a championship for Jimmie Johnson. If there was a legend in the sport of NASCAR the odds are that Mark Martin not only drove side-by-side with them, but also beat them.

It’s going to be weird watching NASCAR without Mark Martin in the field, but it was a damn pleasure doing so for all of those years.   

Auto Racing Should Be An Olympic Sport (Just Imagine Jimmie Johnson, Dario Franchitti, Sebastien Vettel & Travis Pastrana All in One Race)

I know this is a pipe dream and something that will never happen, but I think auto racing should be an Olympic sport. 

Just imagine NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson (left) & IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti (right) racing for gold.

Think about it, auto racing is something that is done everywhere in the world and has successful and world champion drivers from a large group of countries. I know that this certainly doesn’t mean a sport will be an Olympics sport, just look at baseball and golf (which will be an Olympic sport starting in 2016).

However, how cool would it be to see the best drivers from around the world, stars of NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1 and others, competing in one big race or tournament of races to crown the top driver in the world?

There actually used to be a series similar to that called the IROC (International Race of Champions) Series from 1974 to 2006 where champion drivers from a multitude of series would compete in a four race series to determine a champion. It was mostly dominated by NASCAR drivers on mostly NASCAR tracks, with NASCAR stars (like Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart) winning every year from 1989 until the series folded in 2006, but other racing stars like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Al Unser Jr. were crowned champions, as well. The series went out of business in 2007 due to financial problems.

While the IROC Series was mostly run on ovals, a potential Olympic event (again this is just a dream) would most likely have to be run on a road course or street circuit because most series around the world are exclusively run on those types of tracks.  

The series would also have to choose what type of car would be used in the event. My suggestion would be to use something like the Daytona Prototypes used in the Rolex Grand Am Series, because most drivers from around the world are already familiar with these cars from running in a race like the 24 Hours of Daytona (which often brings in big names from top series like NASCAR and IndyCar).

The format for auto racing in the Olympics is really something that I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into, but could easily be anything from just one big race with a qualifying process of either fastest laps or heat races or could be a series of races. The number of racers per race or the length of the race is also something that I haven’t put any thought into. As long as auto racing was involved in the Olympics I honestly wouldn’t care so much about many of the particulars.  

I have, however, compiled a list of 50 world class drivers from 19 different countries as proof of why auto racing in the Olympics would be such a great idea. Can you imagine some of these guys going up against each other for the gold?

1.       Fernando Alonso (Spain) – Formula 1 – 2x Formula 1 Champion, 30 wins

2.       Marcos Ambrose (Australia) – NASCAR - 1 Sprint Cup Series win, 2X V8 Supercar Champion

3.       Max Angelelli (Italy) – Grand Am – 1x Grand Am Champion, 17 wins

4.       Joao Barbosa (Portugal) – Grand Am – 2010 24 Hours of Daytona Champion, 3 Grand Am DP wins

5.       Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) – IndyCar – 11 Formula 1 wins, 1^st driver to have 300 starts in F1 history

6.       Sebastien Bourdais (France) – IndyCar – 4x Champ Car Champion, 31 Champ Car wins

7.       Ryan Briscoe (Australia) – IndyCar – 6 IndyCar wins, 3 American Le Mans Series wins

8.       Kyle Busch (United States) – NASCAR – 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup wins, 105 total NASCAR wins, 1x Nationwide Series champion

9.       Jenson Button (England) – Formula 1 – 1x Formula 1 champion, 13 Formula 1 wins

10.   Helio Castroneves (Brazil) – IndyCar – 3x Indianapolis 500 champion, 21 IndyCar wins

11.   Mike Conway (England) – IndyCar – 1 IndyCar win, 1x British F3 Champion

12.   Ryan Dalziel (Scotland) – Grand Am – 1X 24 Hours or Le Mans winner, 3 Grand Am wins

13.   Simona de Silvestro (Switzerland) – IndyCar – 5 Atlantic Championship wins

14.   Scott Dixon (New Zealand) – IndyCar – 2x IndyCar Champion, 29 IndyCar wins, 1x Indianapolis 500 winner

15.   Ron Fellows (Canada) – NASCAR – 3X 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, 6 total NASCAR wins

16.   Dario Franchitti (Scotland) – IndyCar – 4X IndyCar Champion, 3X Indianapolis 500 winner, 20 IndyCar wins

17.   Jeff Gordon (United States) – NASCAR – 4X NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, 86 Sprint Cup wins (3^rd all time)

18.   Lewis Hamilton (England) – Formula 1 – 1X Formula 1 Champion, 19 Formula 1 wins

19.   James Hinchcliffe (Canada) – IndyCar – 2011 IndyCar Rookie of the Year, 8 IndyCar Top 5s

20.   Ryan Hunter-Reay (United States) – IndyCar – 6 IndyCar wins, Currently 2^nd in IndyCar Points

21.   Jimmie Johnson (United States) – NASCAR – 5x NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, 58 Sprint Cup wins

22.   Tony Kanaan (Brazil) – IndyCar – 1x IndyCar Champion, 14 IndyCar wins

23.   Matt Kenseth (United States) – NASCAR – 1X NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, 22 Sprint Cup wins

24.   Steve Kinser (United States) – World of Outlaws – 20X World of Outlaws Champion, 555 World of Outlaw wins

25.   Tom Kristensen (Denmark) - Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters – 8x 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (most all-time)

26.   Andy Lally (United States) – Grand Am – 2x Grand Am class champion, 3X 24 Hours of Daytona class winner

27.   Sebastien Loeb (France) – World Rally – 8x World Rally Champion, 73 Rally wins

28.   Andre Lotterer (Germany) – FIA World Endurance – 2x 24 Hours of Le Mans winner

29.   Jan Magnussen (Denmark) – Le Mans – 4x 24 Hours of Le Mans winner

30.   Allan McNish (Scotland) - FIA World Endurance – 2x 24 Hours of Le Mans winner

31.   Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) – NASCAR – 1x Indianapolis 500 winners, 7 Formula 1 wins, 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins

32.   Simon Pagenaud (France) – IndyCar – 1x American Le Mans Series Champion, 5 IndyCar top 5s (this season as a rookie)

33.    Miguel Paludo (Brazil) – NASCAR – 2x Porsche GT3 Cup Brasil Champion, 10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series top 10s

34.   Max Papis (Italy) – NASCAR – 3 Champ Car wins

35.   Travis Pastrana (United States) – Rally Car/NASCAR – 4x Rally America Champion, 10X X Games gold medalist

36.   Nelson Piquet Jr. (Brazil) – NASCAR – 1 NASCAR Nationwide Series win, 20 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Top 10s

37.   Will Power (Australia) – IndyCar – 16 IndyCar wins

38.   Scott Pruett (United States) – Grand Am – 3x Grand Am Champion, 4x 24 Hours of Daytona winner

39.   Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) – Formula 1 – 1x Formula 1 Champion, 18 Formula 1 wins

40.   Memo Rojas (Mexico) – Grand Am – 3X Grand Am Champion, 21 Grand Am wins

41.   Takuma Sato (Japan) – IndyCar – 6 Formula 1 top 5s, 5 IndyCar top 5s

42.   Michael Schumacher (Germany) – Formula 1 – 7x Formula 1 Champion, 91 Formula 1 wins

43.   Oriol Servia (Spain) – IndyCar – 1 Champ Car win, 17 IndyCar top 5s

44.   Tony Stewart (United States) – NASCAR – 3x NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, 1x IndyCar Champion, 47 NASCAR Sprint Cup wins

45.   Alex Tagliani (Canada) – IndyCar – 1 Champ Car win, 6 IndyCar top 5s

46.   Paul Tracy (Canada) – Grand Am – 1x Champ Car Champion, 12 Champ Car wins

47.   Sebastien Vettel (Germany) – Formula 1 – 2x Formula 1 Champion, 22 Formula 1 wins

48.   E.J. Viso (Venezuela) – IndyCar – 3 IndyCar top 5s, 1x National Class British F3 Champion

49.   Mark Webber (Australia) – Formula 1 – 9 Formula 1 wins

50.   Justin Wilson (England) – IndyCar – 3 IndyCar wins, 4 Champ Car wins,

NASCAR Should Ban Knaus for Full Season

At Daytona to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup season Jimmie Johnson’s #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was found to have an illegal part on the car. This really came as no surprise to me personally, because every time I hear of an illegal part on a car in NASCAR I immediately think of that 48 team and Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus. Why? Because Knaus is a major repeat offender and when I say repeat, boy do I mean it.

The punishment handed down by NASCAR last week: a six race suspension for Knaus and car chief Ron Malec, Johnson docked 25 driver’s points, the team docked 25 owner’s points and Knaus receiving a $100,000 fine is the crew chief’s ninth punishment from NASCAR for rules infractions in the last decade and his fifth suspension. Hendrick Motorsports has appealed the punishment and Knaus will be allowed to be Johnson’s crew chief until the appeal is heard.

After eight previous punishments, including four suspensions Knaus still continues to push the line and do something that is considered to be cheating in the sport. It’s very obvious that Knaus hasn’t learned his lesson from NASCAR, so now I believe NASCAR should take their punishments to the next level.

A six race suspension for Knaus along with a $100,000 fine and being docked 25 driver’s and owner’s points is a fairly big punishment in the sport. However, I think that NASCAR should have finally put their foot down with Knaus and banned him for the entire season. I think that an entire season’s banishment would finally get it through Knaus’ evidently concrete thick skull that they mean business when it comes to cheating and using illegal parts in the sport.

I’m sure down the line we’ll see Knaus punished once again for stepping over the line, and maybe then NASCAR will finally take the punishment to the next level. But, if I were in charge of the sport Knaus would be packing his bags right now for a very long vacation.  

Drivers ... Pack It In ... Johnson Knaus Has This

Attention NASCAR fan of the other 11 Chase drivers that are not named Jimmie Johnson ... turn off your TV sets for the last six races of the Chase for the Championship. It's already locked up.

The combination of Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus are unbeatable. In fact, I can't think of a more dominating duo right now in all of sports. They are a Murderers Row all to themselves, Ruth and Gehrig, Montana and Rice.

They haven't even had a great year, in fact, they've had their worst year, only winning their second race of the year this past weekend in Kansas ... yet they are right there at the top, only four points behind current points leader and eventual loser Carl Edwards. Johnson Knaus, I've combined them into one robotic person, is a machine ... give up the nickname Albert Pujols ... it's rightfully theirs.

Edwards, Busch, other Busch, Harvick, Gordon, Keselowski, Stewart, Hamlin, Earnhardt, Newman and Kenseth don't even bother starting those engines at Homestead in November ... it's all for not.

Johnson has this clinched. Six in a row will be one of the most impressive things I've ever seen ... but God almighty I'm sick of it.

2010 NASCAR Recap

2010 was certainly one of the more interesting years in recent NASCAR history. Here is my little recap of the season with the best and worst moments and drivers of the year.

Best Achievement: Jimmie Johnson wins 5th consecutive Sprint Cup championship

What? You didn’t think I’d give this to Kevin Conway for winning Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year did you? Jimmie Johnson winning his record fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship is really the only thing that could take this award. Johnson constantly leaves NASCAR fans wondering: “When is anybody going to beat this guy?” Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick showed it could be next year, but then again Johnson showed it might be a while yet. The drive for six begins in February.

Best Driver: Denny Hamlin

Well, you’d think that winning a championship would mean that Jimmie Johnson was the best driver of the year wouldn’t you? Sometimes though the champion isn’t the best of the entire season … for instance the 2007-2008 New England Patriots were clearly better than the New York Giants. In a year that Johnson and his #48 Lowe’s Chevy team showed some weaknesses here and there, Hamlin looked like the truly dominant driver the entire season. Hamlin won more races than any driver during the season with eight; oftentimes number of wins is indicative of who really had the best season. Hamlin’s eight wins were two more than Johnson’s season total. Hamlin also finished two more races during the season than Johnson did.

Most Disappointing Driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

We might as well rename the disappointing driver of the year honor the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Award. He seems to be earning this dubious honor year-in-and-year-out. Earnhardt Jr. isn’t even one of the 20 best drivers in the Sprint Cup anymore, he finished 21st in the season points standings this year and frankly seems like a lost driver who doesn't have his heart in it. He didn’t win a race this year for the second straight season in the Sprint Cup and only compiled three top five finishes and a horrible eight top 10s. It’s getting to the point where you really can’t even consider Earnhardt Jr. to be disappointing, but instead the norm for him. So, maybe this honor would be better suited for a guy like Earnhardt Jr.’s teammate Mark Martin who had the biggest downfall of any driver in the sport from 2009.

Best Crew Chief: Chad Knaus

We certainly should just rename this honor the Chad Knaus Award because there isn’t a crew chief in all of NASCAR that even comes close. In fact, Knaus might have passed longtime Richard Petty crew chief Dale Inman as the greatest crew chief that the sport has ever seen. Knaus is the man behind Jimmie Johnson’s greatness and frankly for the last few years people have wondered exactly how successful Johnson would be with a crew chief other than Knaus … we certainly won’t see that scenario anytime soon, as team owner Rick Hendrick won’t even think about breaking this great duo up. Late in the Chase for the Championship many, including me, questioned Knaus’ decision to switch pit crews with teammate Jeff Gordon, whose crew performed better throughout the season. I feared it would cause chemistry problems for the last two races of the season, but it didn’t … why? Because Knaus is a genius.

Best Season by a Non-Chase Driver: Jamie McMurray

Jamie McMurray had a career changing season in 2010 and there is no doubt about it. The only flaw in the season was that he didn’t make the Chase for the Championship. McMurray came into the 2010 Sprint Cup season with three career wins in a little over seven seasons. All he did in 2010 was double his career total with three wins at the sports’ two biggest races and three of the sports’ most iconic tracks. McMurray started the season with a new team in the #1 Bass Pro/McDonald’s Earnhardt-Ganassi Chevy and immediately got off on the right foot winning the season’s first and biggest race, the Daytona 500. In August, McMurray would win the sports’ second biggest race of the season, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’d also win a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the fall, one of the sports’ biggest and most storied tracks.

Biggest Turnaround: Jamie McMurray

When you enter a season only having won three career races in almost seven and a half seasons and then win three in one season that’s a pretty big turnaround. McMurray also made a big jump in the points standings gaining eight positions between 2009 when he finished 22nd to finishing 14th in 2010. McMurray is one of the nicest guys in NASCAR; I just hope that his career year in 2010 doesn’t turn out to be a fluke.

Worst Drop-off: Mark Martin

Mark Martin, the senior citizen of the Sprint Cup Series, clearly had the biggest drop-off from the 2009 season to the 2010. In 2009, Martin won five races and finished second in the points standings, which extended his record of second place championship finishes to five … Martin might be the biggest bridesmaid in sports history. In 2010, Martin didn’t win a single race and fell 11 spots in the points standings to 13th. Martin wasn’t the only driver though with a drastic drop-off. Both Kasey Kahne and Juan Pablo Montoya found themselves falling the wrong direction in 2010.

Worst Debut: Danica Patrick

Well, I can definitely say I saw this one coming. In 2010, Danica Patrick who has been a career failure in the IndyRacing League decided that she would try her hand at being a part-time failure in the NASCAR Nationwide Series as well. Patrick competed in 13 Nationwide races in 2010 and it seems like she must have wrecked in most of them. It took Patrick until her 13th and final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway for her to finally finish a race on the lead lap. Patrick will run another part time Nationwide Series schedule in 2011.

Driver to Watch for 2011: Carl Edwards

Using the Denny Hamlin scale from the end of the 2009 season that led everybody to believe he’d be a huge threat in 2010 because of a hot finish to end the season, I conclude that Carl Edwards will be a force to be reckon with in 2011. Edwards nearly went two full Sprint Cup seasons without winning a race and then he went on hot tear winning the final two races of 2010 at Phoenix and Homestead. This is a hot streak that I definitely see him carrying into 2011. I also think that the upcoming rule that will keep Sprint Cup regulars from winning the Nationwide Series championship will help to keep Edwards’ mind where it belongs, in the Cup series.

Best Rising Star: Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski frankly had a pretty disappointing first full season in the Sprint Cup Series in 2010, but I think his mind, heart and soul were focused on capturing the 2010 Nationwide Series championship, which he did rather easily, I might say. Now that he’s accomplished that the only thing for him to set his mind toward is great success in the Sprint Cup. Keselowski is a tough, aggressive driver in the mold of a Kyle Busch and I think this will lead to many wins, but also a lot of enemies. I expect Keselowski to have a pretty nice sophomore season in the Sprint Cup in 2011.

Best Race/Best Finish: Talladega- Spring Race

The spring Talladega race was the most competitive race in the long and great history of NASCAR. There was an incredible and record breaking 88 lead changes in the race among a record 29 different drivers in this 180-MPH chess match that is big time restrictor plate racing. This wonderful race led into what became the best finish of the 2010 season. Jamie McMurray led the race with two laps remaining with Kevin Harvick tucked in close on his bumper to draft. The two formed a team that drove off from the rest of the field, which is something that doesn’t happen often in plate racing. On the final lap it looked like Harvick would stay tucked up under McMurray until the end, but at the last possible second Harvick ducked to the inside and made the old school slingshot pass around McMurray in a photo finish. The finish was the eighth closest in NASCAR history, since electrical timing began in 1993. It was a classic duel between two masterful restrictor plate drivers. The win for Harvick also broke an amazing winless drought of 115 races.

Wildest Race: Texas- Chase Race
&
Best Fight: Jeff Gordon vs. Jeff Burton- Texas Chase Race

The race at Texas Motor Speedway in the Chase for the Championship wasn’t just the wildest race of 2010, but quite possibly the wildest one ever. To be honest the racing wasn’t even really anything that special, it’s just a bunch of circumstances that led to the wild event. Early on during the race Kyle Busch was involved in a spin and sped down pit road to beat the pace car back out on the track and thus avoid being lapped. Because of this infraction, Busch was held a lap in the pits. Busch, always the hothead that he is, flipped off the NASCAR official in his pit box and NASCAR assessed him another two-lap penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. It wouldn’t be the last unsportsmanlike conduct that this race would see by any means. Later in the race under caution for a Martin Truex Jr. wreck another wreck would occur when normally low-key Jeff Burton took offense to the way Jeff Gordon was racing him and Burton put Gordon into the wall, effectively ending both of their days. Gordon took big time exception to the intentional wreck and met Burton on the track for some old time NASCAR fisticuffs. Following Gordon’s wreck came perhaps the most startling moment in the race when Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus benched Johnson’s entire pit crew and replaced them with Gordon’s pit crew, because the #48 pit crew just wasn’t getting the job done. This was an unprecedented and controversial move at the time that would later prove crucial in Johnson winning his fifth consecutive championship. This was certainly the wildest NASCAR race I can ever remember seeing. Oh by the way, did I mention Denny Hamlin won the race with a late pass over Greg Biffle?

Biggest Jerk: Carl Edwards

Honestly this award could easily be named the Kyle Busch Award, but I’m actually going to give it to Carl Edwards for 2010. Don’t get me wrong, Kyle Busch is a huge jerk, but in my opinion Edwards essentially attempted to murder Brad Keselowski on two different occasions this year. Edwards feels that Keselowski is an aggressive driver and he is, but Keselowski has never taken a racing action as aggressive and dangerous as Edwards did this season against him. Edwards could’ve very easily killed or extremely injured Keselowski this year when he spun him out and sent him airborne at Atlanta Motor Speedway and then later in the season intentionally wrecked him in front of fast, oncoming traffic in a Nationwide Series race at Gateway.

Worst NASCAR Decision: NASCAR’s lack of punishment for Carl Edwards

This award could’ve easily gone to NASCAR’s overkill of a punishment to Clint Bowyer in the Chase, but NASCAR’s lack of punishment for Carl Edwards in the two times that he tried to kill Brad Keselowski was their most appalling decision of the 2010 season. The problem is that at the beginning of the 2010 season NASCAR painted themselves into a corner by announcing the new “Boys, Have At It” policy that let the drivers take policing races back into their own hands. It’s a good move on NASCAR’s part to let the drivers police themselves like in the glory days of the sport and for the most part it turned out great. However, Edwards went overkill on his policing and NASCAR should have called him on it and punished him severely by deducting points and/or suspending him for a race or so. NASCAR didn’t do either after Edwards’ dangerous dumping of Keselowski at Atlanta in the spring. They merely put him on probation for three races, which isn’t even a slap on the wrist. They even had the opportunity to correct themselves later in the season when Edwards dangerously dumped Keselowski again at Gateway, but they simply put him on probation again, this time until the end of the season.

Worst Wreck: Elliott Sadler at Pocono

Some NASCAR fans love bad wrecks. Those fans disgust me. Wrecks are a part of the sport and always will be, but the fact is that they are always dangerous and until that driver exits the car they are something that should be feared. There were a lot of bad wrecks this year as in every year … these included Brad Keselowski’s airborne wreck after Carl Edwards dumped him at Atlanta, Keselowski’s hard wreck after Edwards dumped him in the Nationwide Series at Gateway, Dennis Setzer getting airborne and into the catchfence in a Nationwide Series wreck at Talladega, Ron Hornaday’s airborne wreck at Talladega in the Camping World Truck Series, A.J. Allmendinger’s wild ride at Talladega in the Chase and Kasey Kahne almost leaving the track in the first Pocono track. However, there is no question in my mind that Elliott Sadler’s wreck in the second Pocono race of the summer was the worst wreck of the season and one of the worst I’ve ever seen. A few years ago NASCAR started keeping track of how hard the crashes are and said that Sadler’s Pocono wreck was the hardest wreck ever recorded. There’s no doubt in my mind that Sadler would have lost his life in that wreck had NASCAR not improved in safety in the last decade.

Best Moment: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Winning at Daytona in #3

This was a moment so good that it almost seemed scripted. Some fans even believed that it had to have been “fixed.” But, let me tell you that restrictor plate racing most certainly can’t be “fixed.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced that he would run his father’s old #3 Wrangler blue and yellow paint scheme at the Daytona Nationwide Series race in July. In the one and only race that he would ever run in this scheme he dominated and won. This didn’t surprise me at all for two reasons 1) It’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a restrictor plate race 2) I believe that Earnhardt Jr. can be a big time driver when he puts his mind to it (which doesn’t appear to happen often) and that he did so on this night in tribute to his father.

Biggest Bonehead Moment: Marcos Ambrose at Infineon

Marcos Ambrose had his first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in his grasp at the Infineon road course in Sonoma, California during the summer … and then he made one of the dumbest mistakes a driver could ever make. Under a late caution while attempting to conserve fuel Ambrose cut his engine off while going up a hill on the track. The car was unable to start initially after Ambrose shut it off and thus didn’t maintain the pace speed; This allowed second place driver Jimmie Johnson and three or four others to move in front of Ambrose. Johnson went on to win the race that felt as if Ambrose had it in his pocket.

Worst Performance: Denny Hamlin’s qualifying run at Homestead-Miami

Denny Hamlin entered the final race of the Sprint Cup season at Homestead-Miami Speedway 15 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson in the points standings. We all know that Johnson would go on to win his fifth consecutive championship, but I actually don’t think Hamlin lost the championship in the final race. Instead Hamlin lost the championship on Friday when a poor qualifying effort forced him to start 32 spots behind Johnson on the starting grid. It was a move that essentially gave Johnson a big lead from the beginning and he never looked back.

Most Embarrassing Moment: Kasey Kahne quits on Richard Petty

It had been determined earlier in the season that 2010 would be Kasey Kahne’s last season with Richard Petty Motorsports and that he would drive next season for Red Bull Racing while waiting for a spot to open up at Hendrick Motorsports for 2012. Kahne had struggled all season long at RPM and when his brakes failed at Charlotte in the Chase Kahne finally decided that he had enough. When the team fixed the car enough for it to return to the track to gain as many points as possible Kahne faked illness and the team was forced to put JJ Yeley in the car to finish the race. I’d known for some time that Kahne was one of the most overrated drivers in NASCAR, but he proved that night that he was also a quitter. That would turn out to be his final race for RPM. He went to Red Bull racing for the remainder of the 2010 season was replaced in the #9 Budweiser car by Aric Almirola.

Best Silly Season Move: Elliott Sadler to run full time 2011 Nationwide Series

For those who aren’t big NASCAR buffs, silly season is basically NASCAR’s equivalent of free agency with drivers switching teams. Most would say that the biggest move of silly season is Kasey Kahne going to Red Bull Racing for a year; but, as previously mentioned Kahne is overrated. Personally I think the biggest silly season move is Elliott Sadler’s decision to run for the Nationwide Series championship for car owner Kevin Harvick. Sadler is one of the nicest guys in NASCAR and one of my personal favorites. I know that he’s making the right decision to run full time in the Nationwide Series, because his Sprint Cup career has gone under. Sadler will be a big time threat for the Nationwide championship next season, especially with the upcoming rule that will state that Sprint Cup regulars won’t be eligible to win the Nationwide championship in 2011.

20 Dumbest Sports Injuries

1. Redskins QB Gus Frerotte got a concussion slamming his head against a wall in celebration
2. Cardinals kicker Bill Gramatica blows out knee celebrating field goal
3. Soccer player Alex Stepney breaks jaw from yelling too loudly
4. Celtics guard Tony Allen blew out knee dunking needlessly after the whistle
5. Padres outfielder Milton Bradley blows ACL arguing with an umpire
6. Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress shoots self in the leg with own gun
7. Angels first baseman Kendry Morales breaks leg celebrating game-winning grand slam
8. NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson breaks wrist after falling off the top of a golf cart while clowning around
9. Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya gets arm inflammation from too much “Guitar Hero”
10. Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa sprained ligaments in back sneezing
11. Jaguars kicker Chris Hanson cuts self with an axe in motivational speech
12. Orlando Brown receives serious eye injury when refs flag hits him in the eye
13. Suns guard Kevin Johnson dislocated his shoulder when Charles Barkley high-fived him too hard
14. Vince Coleman injured his leg when the tarp machine rolled over him
15. Padres pitcher Adam Eaton stabs self trying to open DVD with a knife
16. Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan hurts knee creaming Wes Helms with shaving cream pie celebration
17. Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs sprained muscles in back taking off cowboy boots
18. Tigers infielder Brandon Inge strains oblique picking up a pillow
19. Rockies infielder Clint Barmes broke collarbone falling while carrying deer meat
20. Braves pitcher Tom Glavine breaks rib vomiting up in-flight meal on plane

2010 ESPY Nominations (And, My Picks)

2010 ESPY Nominations:

(Not all award categories are listed)

Male Athlete of the Year:

Drew Brees, NFL
Kobe Bryant, NBA
LeBron James, NBA
Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR
Albert Pujols, MLB

My Pick: Jimmie Johnson

Female Athlete of the Year:

Maya Moore, NCAA
Diana Taurasi, WNBA
Lindsey Vonn, Skiing
Serena Williams, Tennis

My Pick: Maya Moore

Best Championship Performance:

Drew Brees, Super Bowl XLIV
Anthony Johnson, Big Sky Conference Championship
Michael Phelps, World Swimming Championships
Shaun White, Winter Olympics

My Pick: Drew Brees

Best Breakthrough Athlete:

Britney Griner, Baylor women’s basketball
Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
John Wall, Kentucky men’s basketball

My Pick: John Wall

Best Record-Breaking Performance:

Usain Bolt, 100 & 200-meter World Records
Brett Favre, NFL record for consecutive starts
Roger Federer, Most Grand Slam Titles
Connecticut Women’s Basketball, Longest winning streak in NCAA history

My Pick: Brett Favre

Best Upset:

Frankie Edgar over BJ Penn, MMA
Hawaii upsets #1 Alabama, NCAA softball
Northern Iowa shocks #1 Kansas, NCAA Men’s basketball
Y.E. Yang stuns Tiger Woods, PGA Championship

My Pick: Northern Iowa over Kansas

Best Game:

Twins best Tigers in extra innings (MLB Playoff tiebreaker)
Canada edges USA in Olympic overtime game
Duke beats Butler in NCAA Men’s Championship

My Pick: Duke over Butler

Best Moment:

Phil Mickelson, 2010 Masters
Joannie Rochette, Winter Olympics
New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV

My Pick: Phil Mickelson

Best Play:

Brett Favre throws game-winning TD vs. 49ers
Fordham’s Brian Kownacki flips over Iona’s catcher to score run
Rajon Rondo’s hustle leads to basket against Orlando in playoff win
Mark Buehrle’s opening day defensive gem off his leg, into foul territory, diving flip for out

My Pick: Mark Buehrle

Best Team:

Alabama, College Football
Chicago Blackhawks, NHL
Connecticut, Women’s Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers, NBA
New Orleans Saints, NFL
New York Yankees, MLB

My Pick: New York Yankees

Best Sports Movie:

“Big Fan”
“Invictus”
“The Blind Side”
“The Damned United”
“The Karate Kid”

My Pick: “Invictus”

Best Coach/Manager:

Gene Auriemma, Connecticut women’s basketball
Joe Girardi, New York Yankees
Phil Jackson, LA Lakers
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke men’s basketball
Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
Nick Saban, Alabama football

My Pick: Phil Jackson

Best NFL Player:

Drew Brees, Saints
Brett Favre, Vikings
Peyton Manning, Colts
Chris Johnson, Titans
Darrelle Revis, Jets
Charles Woodson, Packers

My Pick: Drew Brees

Best MLB Player:

Zach Greinke, Royals
Derek Jeter, Yankees
Tim Lincecum, Giants
Albert Pujols, Cardinals
Joe Mauer, Twins

Best NBA Player:

Kobe Bryant, Lakers
LeBron James, Cavaliers
Dwight Howard, Magic
Kevin Durant, Thunder
Dwyane Wade, Heat

My Pick: Kobe Bryant

Best Driver:

Kyle Busch, NASCAR Nationwide Series/Sprint Cup Series
Dario Franchitti, IRL
Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Ron Hornaday, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Tony Schumacher, F1

My Pick: Jimmie Johnson

Best Golfer:

Tiger Woods
Ernie Els
Phil Mickelson

My Pick: Phil Mickelson

Best Male Collegiate Athlete:

Blake Geoffrion, Wisconsin hockey
Mark Ingram, Alabama football
Evan Turner, Ohio State basketball
John Wall, Kentucky basketball
Garrett Wittels, Florida International baseball

My Pick: Garrett Wittels

Best Female Collegiate Athelte:

Tina Charles, Connecticut basketball
Megan Hodge, Penn State volleyball
Maya Moore, Connecticut basketball
Megan Lagenfeld, UCLA softball

My Pick: Maya Moore